Music Therapy, Lessons & Classes, Smile Concerts, Respite Days and More!
Our Mission of Smiles, History and Impact!
Donate, Volunteer and Upcoming Events!
Anna's Smile!
At the KEYS Program, it's all about the smiles, and no one had a more beautiful smile than KEYS kid Anna!
Anna and her family were scheduled to be our VIP guests at Fox Fest, an all day concert to benefit the KEYS Program. Today's event is dedicated in memory of beautiful 12-year-old Anna who lost her courageous battle with Ewing Sarcoma four days ago. Anna lit up this world with her bright, beautiful smile and touched the lives of so many.
So please come on out to join us in support of Anna's family, wear your yellow (Anna's favorite color), bring your sunflowers (Anna's favorite flower) and join us in covering the field with love and support for Anna's family!
#annastrong #foxfest #creatingsmiles #keysprogram
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Recent Concert
Smiles for Owen & Grace featuring Clair Stein!
Upcoming Concert!
Recent Concert
Smiles for Alexa & Nico featuring Katie Quick!
Smile Concert Series!
Tune-in to the KEYS Program facebook page each Monday night during the school year session (Sept to June) at 7pm to enjoy a LIVE concert by our amazing line up of featured artists from across the country!
Each concert celebrates and honors one of our KEYS kids and their family!
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Don't worry if you miss it! All of the concerts are saved on our KEYS Kids Network page for pediatric cancer patients, their families and the community to enjoy all year long!
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The BEST part?
We can share smiles with our KEYS kids whether they are tuning-in from home, while in treatment
or the hospital!
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Now that makes us smile!
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"Backstage" Meet 'n Greet for the KEYS Kids!
Before each concert, we host a private Meet 'n Greet via zoom for the KEYS kids and their families who we are celebrating!
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The kids LOVE meeting the artists who are performing for them...and the artists LOVE meeting the kiddos too!
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It makes the Smile Concert even more special. magical and smile-filled for everyone!
Fall Registration Under Way!
Registration is underway for our Fall music therapy and community music class and workshop programs!
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Community music classes ( for all ages and all abilities) include piano, voice, guitar, ukulele, drumming, songwriting, general music, music appreciation and more!
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Music therapy is open to the community for all ages and is free for kids impacted by cancer and breast cancer patients!
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Wellness workshops are available for care givers, support groups, medical staff, teachers and first responders.
Group classes or therapy available for BOCES programs, nursing homes, special needs sites and organizations.
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Give us a call to enroll for our fall programs!
Summer Smiles!
We have lots of smiles on tap for both our KEYS kids and the community this summer!Check them out below...
Smile Experience Coming Sept 3rd!
We are dusting off our USAC Quarter Midget race cars and getting them ready for a fun-filled summer of family and racing fun for our KEYS families this summer!
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We are looking forward to giving our KEYS kids and their families a break from their treatments, worries and fears for a day of racing fun and excitement!
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Photos to follow the event! In the meantime--- check out the short video from our past Smile Experiences!
It was GREAT BIG Smiles for Lainey and Lexi at Their Very Own Backyard Concert in July!
We were SO excited to kick off our Hope's Smile Backyard Concert Series with "Smiles for Lainey and Lexi" in July!
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Created in memory of 2013 KEYS Kids Ambassador, Hope Inslee, we provide free backyard concerts for KEYS kids who may be in treatment or have a compromised immunity where they can't attend events like other kiddos. We bring the music, and Hope's smile, to them!
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We hosted a this special backyard concert KEYS kiddo Lainey and her sister Lexi and her family and friends in her front yard. "Two Friends"had everyone up and dancing to some of Lainey's favorite songs and Ebeezer's Cafe in Sherrill provided free ice cream for everyone!
BIG thanks to the Triad Foundation, The Tony Stewart Foundation, Quinn's Superbowl Party friends, CNY Arts Decentralization Fund, Ebeneezer's, Sherrill Merchants Association, our awesome volunteers, the amazing Two Friends for performing and everyone who donates to KEYS throughout the year so we can create beautiful smiles like these! You rock!
Sherrill Silversmith's take our KEYS kids out to the Ballgame!
On Saturday, July 16th at 2pm EST the Sherrill Silversmith's baseball team hosted a special KEYS Kids Day at their game against the Cortland Crunch giving our KEYS families a break from cancer worries to enjoy a fun day at the ball game!
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The Silversmith team was so welcoming, inviting us to join them on the field for their pre-game ceremony, playing catch with the kids and letting the KEYS kiddos throw out the first pitch! 11 year old KEYS kiddo Ellie did a beautiful job singing the national anthem. (You go Ellie!)
Big thanks to the Sherrill Little League and Sherrill Merchants Association for making sure the kids didn't go hungry or thirsty, providing free food and lemonade for the kids and their parents.
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Thank you to the Barry from the City of Sherrill and Sherrill Silversmiths and Vicki from the Sherrill Merchants for coordinating this event for our kiddos!
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We'd also like to thank the Van Dreason family for donating cool hats to everyone, the Sherrill Little League for donating $50 to KEYS , to the Cortland Crunch team for donating $500 to KEYS, to the fans who cheered our kids on and to the Sherrill Merchants for donating $250 to KEYS too! All in all, 1,242 was raised for the KEYS Program---now that's a lot of smiles!
Car Show for Kids to benefit the KEYS Program!
August 13th ~ 11am to 3pm
We are so honored to announce Friendly Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram of Hamilton is hosting a Car Show for Kids to benefit the KEYS Program on Saturday, August 13th from 11am to 3pm at the dealership located at 6512 Wes Road (Route 12 B) in Hamilton, NY!
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Come hang out with us and show off your car for a good cause. All makes and models, and race cars are welcome!
Our KEYS kids will be judging the cars and trophies will be awarded for best of makes and Best-in-Show!
Win Raffles & Prizes!
Food provided by Pop's Kitchen! & Ice cream provided by Rick's Polar Pops!
Join us at Fox Fest '22!
We are so excited to announce that the amazing promoters of Fox Fest '22 have chosen the KEYS Program as this year's beneficiary from the proceeds of this year's concert! How awesome is that!?
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This great all day music event is
Saturday, August 6th, 2022 from 12pm to 11:30pm at Fox Fest venue at 3242 Fox Road in Syracuse, NY 13215
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Tickets are $30 a person at the gate for a full day of music and smiles!
FREE overnight camping!
Food vendors Limp Lizard, Cold Stone Creamery and The Spud Shack!
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Band line-up includes:
Tantric, Under the Paige, Molly D'Agostino, Dirt Road Ruckus, Joe Rogalia & The Swamp Boys, F5, Chris Taylor Band, The Shylocks
Steve Cali Band
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Come join us for a full day of great music, good food and lots of BIG smiles for our KEYS kids!
Go to https://foxfestsyracuse.com for more info!
Friendly Summer Fun Fest
to benefit the KEYS Program!
Aug 20th ~ 11am to 3pm
We invite all of you to join us for a day fun & smiles for the whole family!
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Fin activities the whole family will enjoy...
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Magician
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Balloon Twister
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Face Painting
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Caricaturist
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Live Music
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Saturday, August 20th 11am to 3pm at Friendly Ford on Route 12B in Hamilton, NY!
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Food provided by Pop's Kitchen
Ice Cream provided by Rick's Polar Pops
Lemonade provided by Red Pop Lemonade
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Open to the public and our KEYS families too!
Summer Music Outreach & Therapy Programs Rockin'!
Our summer session of music therapy and community music classes are rockin' making music and creating smiles thanks to our wonderful donors, foundation partners and sponsors!
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Some KEYS kids are participating in piano, voice, ukulele or guitar lessons, while others are creating and recording their own songs throughout our summer songwriting project. Other kids are improvising, exploring and creating a go to song list that will help them through those tough tests and surgeries ahead. Our music therapists are at the bedside of children in hospice care, providing love, support and precious moments for the families we serve. And last, our crew is making music with special needs students, patients in nursing homes and those in the community who need support.
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Thanks to your support we are able to do what we do!
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UPDATE!
SIRSY Rocks!
Special Concert to Benefit KEYS & Celebrating KEYS Kid Erika raises over $5,480 for KEYS !
SIRSY rocked' the house and created BIG smiles at our Smiles for Erika concert Monday, Dec 20th at 7pm!
The concert was streamed LIVE on Facebook and YouTube! If you missed it----have no fear! You can enjoy it here !
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The concert was free and donations to KEYS were accepted throughout the concert to benefit the KEYS Program! Thanks to our amazing fans--- over $2,740 was raised for KEYS! And THEN...one of SIRSY's amazing fans matched the money raised to bring the total to $5,480!!
Now that's a lot of smiles!
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Mel and Rich from the amazing band SIRSY know what the cancer battle is like. Lead singer & drummer Melanie is a 2 time breast cancer survivor and is passionate about support others going through the journey. They have been long smile creators here at the KEYS Program, sharing their music, love and talents to bring BIG smiles to our KEYS kiddos!
After all...it's all about the smiles!
We are thrilled to partner with Stad's Crabfest to deliver music hope and smiles to kiddos battling cancer & their siblings in New Jersey this year!
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Stad's Crabfest is a New Jersey nonprofit organization that is devoted to enhancing the quality of life of those affected by cancer, focusing on the journey from Diagnosis through resolution.
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Stad's Crabfest has awarded a $5,000 grant to the KEYS Program's Music Therapy Outreach Program to provide ukuleles to children battling cancer and their siblings to use in music therapy sessions or to jam along with during our concerts!
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BIG thanks to the wonderful folks at Stad's Crabfest for partnering with us to deliver music, ukuleles and BIG smiles to our KEYS kids this year!
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Be sure to check out Stad's Crabfest at www.stadscrabfest.org!
Stad's Crabfest helping to deliver smiles to New Jersey KEYS kiddos!
Florida Virtual School Students Creating Videos...and smiles...for our KEYS Kids!
KEYS is so excited to have students at the Florida Virtual School creating videos for KEYS Kids Network for pediatric patients across the US to enjoy!
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"Zachary, a senior at Florida Virtual Schools (FLVS) reached out to me to see if he could volunteer his time to bring smiles to our KEYS kids. Since we are virtual, he suggested that he, and his classmates, could create videos sharing their talents." said Colleen Bennett, KEYS Executive Director/Founder. "We just love having teens giving their hearts to bring smiles to our KEYS kids and are SO excited to partner with them!"
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Students will be sharing their talents to bring BIG smiles to our KEYS kids. We will be adding more videos in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, check out this video of Zachary teaching the kiddos some really amazing yo-yo tricks!
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Thank you so much for all you do Zachary and everyone at FLVS!
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Check out ALL of the student's videos on our Florida Virtual School (FLVS) video page under our KEYS Kids Network tab!
Wear Your Heart
on Your Sleeve 2022!
BIG thank you to all who wore their hearts on their sleeves for our KEYS kids and those loved ones who have battled cancer!
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Hearts were worn in New York...Florida...Colorado...New Hampshire...Virginia...Texas...Kentucky...Pennsylvania... NorthCarolina...California...Illinois...Indiana...New Jersey...Massachusetts...Denmark!
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Now that's a lot of hearts...and a lot of smiles...
1,088 hearts and smiles in all!
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After all...it's all about the smiles!
